


The Strangers

by potslooshi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: ET invasion, Elemental Magic, Eventual Smut, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-05-16 04:47:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14804640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potslooshi/pseuds/potslooshi
Summary: Jongin is in pursuit of a stray elemental on the loose, to find him before the Strangers will.





	1. ξένος

_The invasion was said to have begun in the mid-1900s. Xenos was a faded picture of its former glory; with the planet’s limited resources close to exhaustion. The inhabitants of Xenos; called the Strangers, were primarily parasitic; a little larger than the common slug, with a grey mucous-like sheath covering the slight body and its numerous tentacles._  
_The Strangers inhabited the host bodies by crawling in through the auricular appendages; namely the ear, and wrapping its tentacles over and around the brain and its cerebellum, thus completely subjugating and violating the host. A host does not last long under the enslavement; their bodies turning putrid over the course of a few years. A Stranger is known to be able to take up-to 3 hosts during its life-time._

_The planet Xenos did not take long to flourish and further more to enslave other worlds. The constant strife brought about a swift decrease in the exhaustible resources that led to a sizeable mass of Strangers absconding their home planet._  
_The invasion of Earth was a last expedient of sorts; the Strangers with their cool and unsympathetic intellect having regarded the lush planet with envious eyes._

_The first registered mass invasion was in late 1973, when the large mother ship; a malicious golden grey, much like the home planet of Xenos; landed on an uncharted territory of the Soviet. The perverse beings spread hastily, taking host bodies and discarding the unfit ones. In the beginning, the hosts were chosen without much thought; however, the Strangers began to grow inadvertently weak when they attempted to enslave certain groups of humans- the ones genetically modified through viruses, the mutants and the elementals._

_The mutants and the elementals soon began to gather, seeking refuge around their own kind. In time, these gatherings turned into communities of sorts; with the common hierarchy of elites, leaders, fighters, et al. with the common intent of protecting the planet from impending ruin._

 

Jongin had been out in the cold for too long. It was past midnight as he stood over the precipice of a small cliff, overlooking the confined district that he had listlessly roamed that evening. He hadn’t found what he had been sent to look for; another elemental, to be exact. He signed and turned away; he was supposed to be back at the base over an hour ago.

The Base was a loose definition for where they lived. EXO was relatively new, thrown together by circumstance, whereas other elemental communities were selectively formulated based off strengths and deficiencies. Elemental communities were exclusively private, independent of how big or small the community itself was.  
The Leaders, albeit unsure of how young elementals with potent abilities would react to each other, had put the eight together. Four years later, they were more family than a community, forming indestructible bonds among themselves.

~

There had been sightings of a stray elemental over the past weeks. An untrained one, obviously; making their work harder. The Strangers had no use for elemental host bodies and were quick to dispose them before they posed a treat.  
The elemental had been in the town a few hours ago. Jongin hoped the others had better luck than him. At this rate, the search would go on for another two weeks; worse, the Strangers would find him first.  
The cold was really starting to bite. Jongin looked over to the town one more time, sucked in a deep breath, and vanished.

He reappeared at a muggy train station close to the Base. The travelers took no note of the new-comer, the densely packed platform serving as a welcome camouflage.  
Jongin took the dark flight of stairs that led to the floor beneath, and turned around a corner where a small area around an arch had been sectioned off for renovation. Elementals could not directly teleport to the Base; due to the wards, however ports were placed in close proximity to it, facilitating teleportation. Ports like these.  
Jongin stepped lightly under the arch, grimacing a little at the amount of fine dust that was swirling around him. His stomach was beginning to grumble due to the less than appetizing lunch he had had, he shut his eyes for a beat and conjured up a picture of the kitchen.

Baekhyun groaned.  
“FUCK! Not cool Jongin. Not cool at all. I know you can teleport wherever the fuck you want, so can you NOT appear an inch away from my fucking face?”  
Jongin grinned easily and reached over Baekhyun to grab some cheese puffs from the overhead cabinet, stuffing his mouth and sighing contently.

“I’m guessing by the way you’re stuffing your face that you come back with nothing”

Jongin shrugged running a hand through his dark messy hair “Not a trace, I haven’t gotten a clue why we can’t track whoever it is though. It’s like the ground has swallowed any scent, footprints or whatever we could use.”

Baekhyun had leaned forward on the counter his chin resting on his hands, an expression of rapt attention on his otherwise sunny face.  
“That’s a good thing in a way. If we can’t find him--”  
“-neither can the Strangers” Jongin finished for him.

“Who else is back” Jongin gave the half empty packet to Baekhyun; five of them had been sent out tonight, someone was bound to come back with better news.

“Chanyeol and sehun got back an hour ago, Yixing should be here soon I guess”

Jongin and Minseok; their eldest, had been sent to the furthest locations, a clandestine town and a frigid island off the coast.

As if on cue, Chanyeol ambled into the kitchen followed by Sehun, who promptly reached over for the bag of chips muttering something about it being empty.

“Invasive one we’ve got this time” Chanyeol observed, before casually sitting next Baekhyun and draping an arm over the smaller man’s shoulders. Baekhyun slapped his hand away and threw him a dirty look.

“Jongin was just telling me that”

“The places have no correlation either” Sehun said “Like whoever it is has no place to be, nothing in their heads but to run”

Jongin sat down opposite them contemplatively. “It’s only a matter of time before, you know”  
He didn’t need to complete that sentence. Stray elementals almost never survived on their own; starvation, rogue mutants and Strangers would inevitably end them. Most stray elementals weren’t lucky enough.  
They’d been through this several times over.

The kinetic sensor in the living room buzzed.  
“About time” Chanyeol muttered, shuffling off to get the door. He came back a minute later followed by a perpetually sleepy looking man with curly hair. The new comer; Yixing, looked defeated.  
“Nothing then” Sehun mumbled “I’m hungry Baek, what’s for dinner?” Sehun went over to the stove. Baekhyun got up to help him.

Yixing propped himself on the counter “The Pagoma is about an hour away, shouldn’t Minseok be back by now?” The Pagoma was an island 30 miles south of the Base. Part of the effort lay in getting to the gelid land mass, and Minseok was far more than capable.  
Chanyeol frowned, looking at his watch. “Give it another half-hour or-”  
-The sensor buzzed loudly. They froze. A second one sounded, this time more insistent. Jongin shot to his feet and rushed to the main entrance of the base. He could hear Sehun right behind him.

Minseok stood outside, slightly out of breath, but uninjured. He clutched his chest and staggered in trying to regain his breath.  
Yixing stepped forward, his palms raised at the ready, but the older man waved him off.  
Jongin looked over at the hunched, raven haired man, who looked bodily unharmed; but as Jongin kept looking, he realized that their oldest was covered head to toe in something that Jongin could only describe as fine dust.

Baekhyun was the one who noticed it next “Min, you’re covered in something”

Minseok straightened up a little “I found him. Or rather, he found me”  
“At Pagoma?” Sehun asked. The older man nodded.

“What does he wield? Did he use it on you?” Jongin brow furrowed; newer elementals could not distinguish their same kind, they were volatile, triggered easily.

“Force of some kind, I’m not sure. The earth responds to him, at least that’s what I saw”  
Baekhyun returned with a glass of water “the earth?” he looked questioningly at Jongin.  
“I’m not sure” Minseok repeated “he was creating fissures, massive ones, right through the ice. I don’t think he has full control over what he does though, it was like he was discovering what he could do right then” he trailed off.

“Did you try tracking him?” Baekhyun’s voiced had lifted a little; he was onto something.

“Nope. Nothing. Expect for the cracks on the ground, there was nothing suggesting that he was even there with me, not even prints almost like-”

-“the ground had swallowed it whole” Baekhyun finished triumphantly, looking at Jongin. “You were right. That’s why we can’t track him. The earth is literally shielding him, wiping away any trace before we can get closer”

Chanyeol groaned “Tell me you got a good look at his face at least”

“I wish I hadn’t” Minseok shuddered  
“Urgh- that bad?” Sehun asked.  
“Nope, he looked alright; small, around Dae’s height, mouse brown hair.” He paused  
“When he first looked at me I thought he wielded some Cyclops-esk beam from his eyes or something. God, if looks could kill, I’d be halfway into the after-life by now.


	2. κεφάλι

The suburbs of Kefali-

  
_The rain poured ferociously on the decrepit road. There was an hour to go to midnight, and the area was nearly isolated; travelers preferring to stay indoors during the seasonal downpour._

_This area of Kefali was inhibited mainly by humans, mostly industrial workers, producers and peasants. Not too far lay a domestic elemental community; the kind that posed as humans, intermingling with them, without sacrificing the secrecy of their community._

_There wasn’t a living soul outside who’d notice a dark figure lying on the far end of the road, the rain pouring all around it. The figure gave a few lifeless jerks before completely going still._

_Whatever it was, it would be found a week later; rotting and moldy, to be taken away in haste before it raised any more suspicion._

~

 

Jongin picked a particularly stubborn piece of lint from his coat as he sat in a quaint café at the heart of the Kefali.

  
The Kefali was the capital of the State. It was the nucleus, a hub known for both its extravagant commerce as well as society. It was also where the Leaders resided in secret annex, strategizing the uprising from the pivot of it all.

Junmyeon had received a call requesting immediate ‘top priority’ hearing with the Leaders regarding the evasive stray elemental. Jongdae had volunteered to go along with him; the pair being, unquestionably, the most level-headed of the eight.

But Minseok had stepped in, saying something along the lines of him being their best shot at recountering what had happened with the elemental. Of course, Sehun had joined in gleefully; not wanting to miss the fun.

That was how Jongin was woken up at the crack of dawn to chauffeur the set. It was almost noon, and he was still exhausted.

“Can I get you something else?”

The waitress who had gotten him his umpteenth cup of coffee was eyeing him expectantly. She was cute, and still very much human. The Strangers weren’t fond of taking hosts from the lower rungs of the society. Hosts were generally influential and capable, carrying the society forward like nothing had ever changed.

Jongin checked his watch, they’d be here soon.

“That’ll be it” he smiled. The girl blushed and stuttered a promised to be back with the cheque.

  
He stood up, not wanting to be late and walked over to the brightly lit counter.  
The girl took his money, sliding his change over a thick wad of napkins, with a sheepish grin and a quick ‘come again’.

Jongin pulled out the napkins as he walked into a light influx of pedestrians. On one of them, was a hastily written number with a ‘call me :)’ underneath. Jongin smiled as he pocketed it; maybe he would.

The rendezvous point was about a mile from the café; an isolated lane with the occasional draught of icy air, making him shiver.

He heard Sehun before he saw him, yelling something about bubble-tea, as the small group came into view. Jongin grinned as they approached him, surreptitiously scanning the adjacent area for wandering eyes.

  
Junmyeon, Jongdae and Minseok looked grim, with the exception of Sehun who looked like he’d found the whole affair dull. Or that was just his face.

“How did it go?” he asked stretching his arms in preparation. Teleporting more than two people at a time always drained him for quite a bit of time.  
“When we get back” Junmyeon said shortly.  
They rarely travelled this way in public, and the fact was putting them all on edge.

“You know the drill” Jongin said as four pairs of hands latched on to his arms.  
Jongdae grimaced, looking a little green “A little warning this time please”

Jongin nodded “One, two…”

 

The five reappeared ground level of the Base, the unofficial boardroom and Baekhyun’s private soiree spot. Yixing looked up from the long table, a mount of papers strewn in front of him. “What took so long” he asked, clearing away the mess to one side.

“Just the Leaders looking for an excuse to make sure we weren’t doing any better than them” Jongdae said, looking a little uneasy “—oops be right back” he finished, lunging for a bowl and running to the nearest washroom.

Jongin flopped down next to Sehun on a bean bag “That’s all they wanted?” he frowned.  
It was typical of the Leaders to keep tabs on elemental communities and their progress, this was a not first.

  
“No, that’s not all of it” Junmyeon replied “Get Baekhyun and Yeol, please Xing”  
The man nodded, already heading towards the stairs.

Jongin looked over to Sehun “How big was the hearing?”  
The younger man thought for a second “Not too big, I suppose; the mid-summer one we went to last year was definitely bigger. They cleared out half the venue after the hearing though”  
“Why?” whatever happened after the hearing seemed to be of more significance than he’d thought.  
Just as Sehun opened his mouth to answer, Yixing returned with the duo in tow. He rapped on the door of the washroom with a loud-“Dae, we’re starting” which was received with a string of incoherent sounds.

“He shouldn’t really teleport” the man muttered, shaking his head at Jongin like it was his fault.

 

After the eight had settled; with a slightly less greener looking Jongdae, Junmyeon straightened up in his chair.

“First things first, we’ve been told to abandon the search for the stray elemental as of now”  
His sentence was met with chaos from the quartet who hadn’t been to the hearing.

“I said- for now. Baekhyun, shut up for a second, will you?”  
The aforementioned blonde huffed, but kept silent.

“They want us to focus on the missing ones” he continued.  
“The missing ones?” Chanyeol interrupted “You mean that dude from Kefali who ran away last week? I didn’t think that was a problem”

It was Minseok who answered “It wasn’t. Till they found his body yesterday”. His sentence was met with silence.  
“Apparently he worked in one of those industrial plants down near the suburbs; minor wind wielder, no family, small community, not a fighter of any sort”

“Why didn’t they notify the Leaders earlier then? His community surely knew better than to push this off as a run-away” Jongin countered.

“They did” Junmyeon sighed “the Leaders thought he was too much of a nobody to push the case any further”  
“Until the body turned up” Baekhyun spat.

Jongin wasn’t appeased “Well, why the sudden interest? Could’ve been a suicide; those aren’t uncommon”

“He had marks, Nini” Sehun said softly “Experimentation scars”

Someone; maybe Baekhyun, gasped.

“The Strangers looking for a way to make viable hosts out of elementals?” Yixing asked to no one in particular.

“Maybe, maybe not” Minseok replied “They’ve brought this into a special priority cause there’s been one more elemental reported missing.”  
“Another worker, this one a lot older. Whoever it is, is scouting for the weaker ones, not much of a fight there” he finished.

“Where does that leave us?” Baekhyun questioned. Jongin leaned forward on his elbows. Surely they’d been given a new set of instructions to follow.

“A whole new bunch of places to forage from” Jongdae spoke up at last, sounding stronger than he did a while before. Sure enough, Yixing was removing his hand from the latter’s back. He caught Jongin’s eye and winked.

“Since the Leaders aren’t quite sure what we’re looking for, they’re instructions are pretty vague” Junmyeon said  
“That leaves us with one more problem; the Stray”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up tomorrow. I promise i wont keep ya'll waiting any longer.  
> Guess who turns up in chapter 3? Kyungsooooo *claps hands like a maniac*  
> I've been dying to write some proper kaisoo but plot is plot hehe.  
> Leave comments, kudos. Tell me what you liked, tell me what you didn't. I'd love to hear it all.  
> -C


	3. πέτρα

_Rash. That is probably the best word to describe an untrained elemental. Elementals strengths manifest at different points of their growth. Some are late bloomers, whereas others wield their powers at an early age. A young elemental has absolutely no control over the power they possess, instead it is a role-reversal of sorts; where the power controls the elemental instead._  
_The scenarios are vastly different; from the powers manifesting during when the elemental is asleep, to huge surges of power when the said is agitated or provoked._

_An elemental always leaves a vestige of the force behind them, like the faintest of footprints._

~

The eight of them were crowded in front of a map strewn with Yixing’s messy lettering. Baekhyun and he were explaining the links between the hastily placed drawing pins. Another elemental had gone missing, not even a week before the last.  
A boy in his mid-teens, a potential water wielder.

It was Chanyeol who finally stated the obvious that everyone was trying to ignore.  
“Yah. There’s nothing connecting these whatsoever. These guys just happened to be there, that’s all. What are we doing?” he trailed off; running a hand through his hair.

“Let’s all just take a break or something” Junmyeon soothed, looking a tad unsure himself. They had been at this for hours, and everyone was exhausted. To top it all, it had been raining relentlessly since dawn, the sky a bleak gray even though it was well into the evening.

Jongin pushed himself off the wall where he’d been leaning and plopped himself next to Sehun, who’d found the remains of last night’s chicken and was eating the crumbs with renewed vigor.  
“What about the Stray though?” he mused “We haven’t heard anything of late, have we?”  
The elemental was in greater risk now than before, with the renewed danger of late. Jongin couldn’t quite shake the nagging voice telling him that they should be doing more.

Minseok rubbed his eyes crustily for a minute “Dunno, it’s not like we’ve much to go on there either-  
“-we should’ve collected the dust of you the other day and traced him with it” Sehun interrupted, looking triumphant.  
Jongdae snorted “It doesn’t work that way Hun, and you know it”  
Sehun shrugged; holding out a greasy hand “Chicken?”

~

 

It was unofficial movie night Friday. They were huddled together on the couch, the rest on makeshift cots spread on the living room floor, with the exception of Junmyeon who had been holed up in the basement since evening. The weather had gotten worse, with no signs of looking up any time soon.

“Okay. Star Wars or Shawshank?” Chanyeol had a stack of CDs balanced precariously in his arms.  
“Dude. We just watched Star Wars like yesterday” Jongdae whined  
“Last Friday Dae” the tall guy said, wagging his fingers ferociously.  
Yixing stood up and started looking through the shelves.  
“UP anyone?”

Halfway through the movie, Jongin heard a sniffle from the right. Sure enough Baekhyun was dabbing his eyes on his sleeve, even Minseok looked a little glassy eyed. To his left, Sehun had already fallen asleep. Jongin suppressed a snort.

He nudged Yixing, who looked up questioningly  
“What’s he doing downstairs for so long?”  
The older man shrugged “You know how Myeon gets when he doesn’t have answers”  
Jongin nodded. He leaned over to Baekhyun who looked seconds away from a breakdown-

  
-someone wacked his arm from the ground “Quit fidgeting Jongin, I can’t hear Russell” Chanyeol muttered.  
“What do you have these for?” Jongin shot back flipping the man’s ears with his fingers.  
Before Chanyeol could say anything back. Baekhyun stood up mumbling something about going to check on Junmyeon.

“I bet he’s going somewhere to let out the waterworks” Jongdae grinned, before looking at Minseok who was furtively looking the other way.  
“Oh, looks like Baek’s not the only one-”

Jongin closed his eyes and leaned back letting their bickering fade to the background. Nights like these brought back a semblance of sanity. He could hear everyone quietening down to watch the movie, sleep didn’t sound like a bad idea.

 

The loud thump of a door woke him, eyes blinking widely to adjust to the sudden influx of light in the room. Baekhyun stood at the doorway looking thoroughly hassled.

“There has been an earthquake.”  
Jongdae shot up almost instantly looking around like he’d missed something.

  
Baekhyun rolled his eyes “Down at Petra”  
“How much on the Richter?” Yixing asked carefully  
“1.4”

  
Jongin scoffed “That’s practically nonexistent Baek”  
“Petra is a wasteland-” he was talking slowly, like he was trying to educate children.  
“-It doesn’t experience fault tremors let alone _five in the span of an hour_ ”

  
He had everyone’s rooted attention by now.

“Min, you said the stray wielded force right?” the older man nodded slowly.  
“Something’s causing irregular tectonic action-” his voice had risen to an octave  
“—barely” Sehun had woken up at some point.  
“BUT IT”S THERE” Baekhyun roared.

  
“It wouldn’t hurt to go” Chanyeol had stood up, and was now patting Baekhyun’s shoulders in an attempt to placate him.  
“We might even get to trace him this time. Given, the tremors continue” Minseok put in.

They heard Junmyeon on the stairs.  
“Has it stopped?” Baekhyun questioned as soon as the older man came into view.  
He shook his head.  
“It’s getting weaker though. Calmer. You know how it is.” His voice faded, reminiscing.

Jongin knew. They all knew. The outbursts of power weren’t uncommon, especially for someone untrained. Being conscious helped; it was easier to reel it in when they were awake. The surges of power were not easily controlled while asleep; the nightmares bringing explosions of strength coursing through them.  
It was a time when he’d wake up in front of a bakery; not knowing how he got there, with a starving belly as an answer, a cemetery, Junmyeon’s yard; the night he’d taken the boy in.

Jongin stood up, flexing a little. It paid to be prepared.  
“I’m _not_ teleporting to Petra-” Jongdae groaned.

 

~  
Petra

 

The rain was making everything miserable.  
Jongin squinted, trying to see through the torrent of rain and sleet. His boots squelched with every step he took. He turned behind to see how the rest were doing. Jongdae; who generally was very much at home with the onslaught of thunder and lightning, looked disgruntled. Minseok and Baekhyun on the other hand looked wary, their eyes darting back and forth, scouring the area for the slightest movements.

They’d left Junmyeon, Yixing and a very reluctant Chanyeol at the base; after Baekhyun spending 20 minutes trying to convince him that fire wasn’t reliable in the midst of a thunderstorm.  
Sehun, was waiting at the gore zone; the piece of land that connected Petra peninsular to the rest of the states, in the off-chance that the stray did slip past the four of them.

Minseok had stopped walking. He motioned them over to a dilapidated bus shed; not one that had been used in a while, gesturing at a small round device nestled carefully in Baekhyun’s hand. The needle was motionless.  
“Nothing. He’s probably awake” he said.  
“-or sound asleep” Jongdae countered.  
‘Which made it easier to find him’ Jongin thought, before another question came to him.  
“Dae, can’t you trace him? It hasn’t been that long since the tremors stopped.”

Jongdae frowned, a crease appearing between his brows as he concentrated for a minute “Nothing. Just like the-”  
“-ground swallowed it up, yea we know” Baekhyun muttered.  
“Well, no point huddling. Spilt. You know what to do after” their oldest said, turning and decisively walking into the rain.

Jongin watched the three retreating figures. Jongdae and Baekhyun darting with precision, disappearing from his view in seconds, Minseok walking with a more undisguised strength, the sleet already freezing as it fell on him.

Jongin shut his eyes for a moment, reappearing at the further end of the Petra, lined with a dense thicket of sparse-leaved trees. The floor was muddy, caked with fallen leaves and dirt. He looked around. How they were supposed to be hearing anything in this downpour was a mystery. He turned to his left and teleported, reappearing every 500 feet or so.

Half an hour later, he still had nothing. He crouched on his knees, letting the rain wash over him as he went over the places he’d –  
A large roll of thunder broke his reverie, followed by the blinding flash of lightening shooting from the sky; an electrical discharge too bright and potent to be part of the thunderstorm, about 20 miles north of where he was.  
Jongdae.

Jongin appeared in the middle of a narrow lane surrounded by a few shabby abandoned shelters. There was no Jongdae, but Jongin could distinctly sense traces of multiple elemental forces.  
He broke into a sprint in the direction where the trace was stronger, vanishing mid-run.

In the middle of a clearing stood two men, a few feet from each other; one keep deep in mud, struggling to keep his arms and torso from sinking into the earth.  
The one with the slightly upper hand was struggling to get away, his body turning rigid for a second as electric waves coursed through him. Not enough for a shock overload, but enough to keep him stunned and thus immobile for a fraction of time. The Stray.

The air smelled faintly of charged ozone as Jongin sized the man one more time, before vanishing and reappearing right behind him.  
In the split second that his eyes met Jongdae’s, he nodded; a reassurance and a warning.  
The stray froze once more, as a particularly strong wave from Jongdae racked through his body. Taking the chance, Jongin grabbed his wrist, preparing to teleport, when the man turned jerkily to look at him. The only thing that Jongin registered were dark, wide eyes and the sound of the ground cracking under his feet as he lost balance and vanished.

They reappeared in the thicket that Jongin had been earlier. One minute, Jongin was gripping his wrist, only to let go the next as pain shot through his torso . The stray rolled away from his grasp, running sluggishly in the opposite direction.

Jongin groaned, clutching his side and straightening up before teleporting right in front of the stray.  
The skies were clearing up, the light illuminating the face of the man-no-boy in front of him. He was small and slight, his wide eyes filled with an unbridled anger as he curled his fist and broke into a run.

Jongin couldn’t move, it was like his legs were carved into stone. Confused, he looked at his feet.  
There was wet mud steadily climbing up his ankles and onto his knees. Quicksand, he groaned inwardly. The boy was smart, for a stray.  
Jongin let himself relax, calming his body into a state of ease before he could teleport out of the bog.

The stray hadn’t gotten far, clearly fatigued; his movements heavy as Jongin materialized behind him for the third time that night.  
As he reached out to grab him, the boy swerved to the right, stumbling as he tripped. Jongin tightened his arms around him in a vice like grip trying to get the boy to still for a second so that he could teleport them to the Base.

“Jongin!” someone screamed.  
The struggling boy in his arms went rigid, his eyes blank as he turned them up to he heavens searching for light. Baekhyun.  
“Jongin, get him out of here. I can’t hold on much longer”  
Small fissures were beginning to erupt all around Baekhyun, the ground he stood trembling as the stray clenched and unclenched his fists.  
Jongin looked on in wonder, it was beautiful, in a twisted way; the earth shielding the boy.  
“GO!” Baekhyun screamed, spurring him into action, pulling the blind boy as the vanished into the night.

~

Jongin threw open the small steel door of the lock-room and threw the Stray in and ramming it shut. The lock-room was an insulator; elementals were powerless here. Jongin heaved, leaning against the door as sobs pierced through the hallway pleading to a god who wasn’t there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,  
> There you go, Elemental Kyungsoo. I've got some more to go the next chapter, maybe a day or two.  
> Tell me what you think of this :)  
> -C  
> Come say hi on Twitter @potslooshi


	4. γη

He was trapped. Fear bubbled in his chest, strangling him. He choked on the last bit of air in his lungs, gasping; as he struggled to take in more. His back collided with something cold. Steel? _Rhodium?_  
Kyungsoo opened his eyes slowly, realizing that he’d screwed them shut. It made no difference. He could feel the space through the pitch darkness. He was starting to shiver, his wet clothes sticking to his body, robbing him of any usable heat. Tentatively, he sat up, tracing the wall behind him with both hands.  
Steel. Infused with some metal he couldn’t name. He could work with that. A small smile bloomed on his face as his fingers felt a corner, where the two walls met.

He shut his eyes for a moment, concentrating. He could feel the cool metal under his fingertips, etching to be used.  
He felt the power surge through him, deliberating as it reached the metal surface. Nothing.  
He tried again, this time more of a steady influx. Somehow, Kyungsoo knew it wasn’t working. This much was generally enough to cause the walls to crumble around him, but now, he could feel nothing. An irrational fear coursed through him again. _Was this some form of inhumane torture?_ He took a deep breath, calming himself before he placed both palms flat against the walls. And tried again. Once. Twice.  
The repeated surges where draining him, his breath coming out in shorter, wilder gasps as he crouched down trying to keep his hold steady.

“Argh” he screamed, shuddering as he felt the last sliver of the fight leaving him.

“You’re going to drain yourself, you know”

Kyungsoo gasped, scrambling blindly to where the sound had come from. His fingertips slid across the endless wall, halting when he felt an indentation. Then a hinge.  
_A door._  
He grappled wildly, trying to find a knob, something, anything-

“You aren’t going to find anything that you’re not meant to” the voice came again; smooth and deep, albeit tired. Whoever it was, was on the other side.  
Kyungsoo ignored the voice and tried again, pounding the door with whatever energy he had left. It wasn’t getting him anywhere; he realized, starting to feel exhaustion as he pushed himself to sit with his back against the door.  
“Look-”  
“Fuck you” he snarled. The voice went quiet. The voice was right, Kyungsoo realized. He’d drained himself. If it came to a fight, all he could do was surrender without being able to lift a finger.

“Where am I?” The question sounded weak, even to his own ears.  
No answer. Kyungsoo knew whoever it was hadn’t left, he could abstract the weight on the other side of the door.  
He repeated his question, hitting the door with his fists for added effect.

“You’re in the lock-room” The voice sounded contemplative. As if he were weighing his words to see what would give away the least.  
“-it’s an insulator of sorts, made of-  
“-steel and rhodium” Kyungsoo cut him off angrily. “And nickel” he said after an afterthought. Whoever was outside didn’t possibly think Kyungsoo needed a class on the composition of this shit-hole.

“Essentially” the voice sounded impressed.  
“Ah- earth metals. You can’t access it, can you?” He chuckled  
That little laugh irked Kyungsoo to no end.  
“I wouldn’t be here if I could” he said through his teeth, trying to keep himself from banging down the door once again.

“I don’t doubt that one bit” the voice sounded amused.  
“The force around it is kinetic. Meaning it is continuously moving, so fast that you can’t find a hole through which your power can escape. Not just you, no elemental can access their powers in here” he finished.  
Kyungsoo replayed his words over and over. There was no escape. Not until they let him out. If they ever did. Maybe he was beginning to wallow a little.  
The man didn’t say anything after that. Neither did Kyungsoo. He had lost track of how long he’d sat there until he realized he’d been holding back on something important.  
He coughed loudly, not knowing how to address the man outside.  
“You’re an elemental too” he started, quoting the word the man had used earlier.  
The latter hummed in confirmation.  
“So were the two men in Petra-”  
Another hum.  
Then it hit him solid.  
“-so was the icicle guy from the other day”  
The man outside guffawed.  
“Icicle guy, sure. That was Minseok. Don’t ever let him hear you say that though”  
Oh. He was giving away names now?  
“How many of you are there” he proceeded carefully.  
“ _Us_ ” the man corrected.  
“Not a whole lot. A few thousand all over. Maybe less?”  
Kyungsoo let that settle. So whatever he was, it was an accepted abomination?

“Go on. I can practically hear those wheels” Kyungsoo could hear the man’s smile in that sentence.  
Kyungsoo scoffed, not wanting to voice his thoughts. He tried a different route.  
“What are you?” he winced. That’d come out wrong.  
“I mean, what do you do?” he scrambled.  
“Wield” he corrected softly, like he was straining to hear something.  
“I’m a-oh. That’s my cue”  
Kyungsoo froze as he heard it too. The tell-tale sounds of people talking.

“Wait” he gasped, struggling to get on his feet. “Wait. Please” he sounded desperate as he clawed at the door, the fear seeping into his voice. Why was he leaving? Who was coming? The questions came out as a feeble gurgle.  
“Hey, hey. Calm down” the voice sounded much closer. Almost so Kyungsoo could hear the rough timbre of it as he pressed his face against the cool metal. The voices grew louder.  
“What’s your name?” the voice urged, gently. Like he wanted Kyungsoo to concentrate on it.  
Kyungsoo kept quiet. He didn’t know the man. Didn’t know what was going to happen. He pried himself off the door, taking a step back.  
The man outside sighed softly. Kyungsoo could hear him leaving.  
He waited for a moment too long.  
“It’s Kyungsoo” he whispered. Though he knew the man couldn’t hear him.

~

 

Jongin had been sitting at the counter for a solid hour now. He knew he was stalling. He wanted to be down at the lock-room with the others. But he knew he couldn’t.  
He couldn’t for the life of him, explain what they were or what they were supposed to do. That was Jumyeon’s job. Sometimes Yixing’s. Heck, even Chanyeol could do it well. Just not him. He didn’t have the answers to half those things himself.

Someone rapped on the counter loudly, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Baekhyun quirking an eyebrow at him.  
“You’ve been mooching off for quite a while now. What is it?”  
He was saved from replying by the appearance of Chanyeol and Sehun, both of whom seemed to be rather involved in some conversation that they were having.  
Jongin sat up a little straighter.  
“How is he?” He asked, hoping it had come off as nonchalantly as he’d intended.  
Chanyeol grinned, momentarily distracted.  
“He’s cute”  
Jongin rolled his eyes.  
“Yea. Cute, if he didn’t look like he wanted to blow holes through Minseok’s skull” Sehun reiterated.  
Baekhyun frowned. “He isn’t cooperating? Wow, with Myeon and Xing? Whose brilliant idea was it to corner him with a horde?”

Jongin couldn’t help feeling like Baekhyun had a point. The Stray had sounded so lifeless, so broken when he’d asked him to wait.  
“He’s fine Baek” Sehun muttered, like he’d no idea what had triggered the outburst.  
“Took a few minutes to get him to listen, but besides that, there wasn’t a problem.”  
“They should be up in a minute” Chanyeol was now digging the cupboards for something to eat. “Whose turn is it to make lunch?”

~  
‘In a minute’ turned out to be more than an hour. Jongin’s fidgeting had earned him a couple of questioning scowls from Baekhyun, but thankfully the elder hadn’t pressed the topic.  
Just as Jongin had had enough of waiting, Junmyeon entered, followed by Jongdae; who still looked a little wet, Minseok, Yixing and finally trailing behind; the Stray.  
In the bright kitchen lights, the Stray was slight, but strong looking; pale, with a head of very closely cropped hair and wide eyes.  
Eyes that were currently focused pointedly at him. He hadn’t realized that he had stood up. Jongin looked away, embarrassed at having been caught looking. He could feel Baekhyun eyeing him again.

“Everyone, this is Kyungsoo” Junmyeon announced with a smile. “He’s going to be a part-”  
“Ah, come on Myeon.” Jongdae muttered pushing past him to sit down at the counter shaking his clothes a little.  
“You’ve met Sehun and Chanyeol” Junmyeon continued like he hadn’t been interrupted, pointed to the two who were lounging on the couch. Chanyeol waved, a tad too enthusiastically.  
“That’s-”  
“-Baekhyun” Baekhyun said reaching over the counter to reach Kyungsoo with his outstretched hand.  
Kyungsoo eyed the hand skeptically “You’re the one who blinded me”  
Baekhyun stared for a second before bursting out laughing.  
“I’d prefer to be known in other ways. But yes, that was me, I wield light” he eyed his hand teasingly.  
Kyungsoo reached out and shook his hand, a little grin of his own threatening to split.  
“The good looking one over there is Jongin” Baekhyun smirked as Kyungsoo looked at Jongin, stepping toward him.  
He held out his hand. Jongin took it, it was warmer than he’d expected, soft; but the grip was surprisingly strong.  
“I’m Jongin” feeling foolish when he realized that Baekhyun had already introduced him. Kyungsoo’s grin had gotten wider. “I’m-”  
“The chauffeur. I gathered.”  
Chanyeol broke out into loud guffaws.  
Jongin cocked his brow “Well. A Stray with a sense of humor then”  
The grin slipped off Kyungsoo’s face. Jongin found himself missing it. The shorter man broke his grip on Jongin hand and pulled away. Jongin hadn’t realized that they were standing like that.  
He stepped back towards where Junmyeon, Yixing and Minseok were talking, falling easily into their conversation.  
Great. Jongin thought. What a great impression. He sat back down only to find Baekhyun staring at him with a shit-eating grin.  
_‘You and I need to talk_ ’ the blonde gestured with his fingers.  
Jongin groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long day.

~

Sehun’s snoring was keeping him awake. Or that’s what he was telling himself. He couldn’t stop thinking of how Kyungsoo had looked at him when he’d called him ‘the Stray’. The man had avoided Jongin the rest of the day, chatting animatedly with the others; eyes crinkling into half-moons as he laughed to Chanyeol’s jokes. Not that he’d been looking. He just, happened to be around.  
Baekhyun on the other hand, had found the ordeal extremely funny; constantly making snide remarks on how anti-social Jongin was.  
He looked up in annoyance, picking up a pen by his night-stand and hurling it at Sehun’s lumpy form. Made no difference. He turned over to his side, trying to tune out the obnoxious snoring.

Just as he’d drifted off to somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, he felt the bed lurch a little.  
Jongin shot up, looking at the clock. Another lurch. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Kyungsoo’s door, having teleported there.  
Someone coughed behind him.  
It was Baekhyun, who looked like he’d just woken up and ran all the way up.  
Another tremor shook, fainter than the last, but surer because of the proximity to the elemental.  
The man gestured towards the door. _Go on_.  
Jongin turned towards the door, now unsure of what he was supposed to be doing. He opened the door a crack, before peeping in.

Kyungsoo had the blankets wrapped around him like a cocoon, the ground shaking as he trashed around.  
Unbeknownst to him, Jongin found himself at the foot of Kyungsoo’s bed. The man had a sheen of sweat on his forehead, his eyes screwed close.  
“Hey” Jongin whispered, trying to use the same tone Junmyeon had used to calm him down when he had been found.  
“Hey, wake up. It’s not real” He murmured leaning down to touch the man’s cheek.  
Kyungsoo’s eyes flew open, round and filled with something Jongin could only describe as fear. He looked around wildly, scooting over to the other edge of the bed when he saw Jongin.  
Jongin sat down on the bed, trying not to feel the hurt.  
“It’s just me” he said. He tried again. “Whatever you saw, it’s not real.”  
Kyungsoo blinked at him, the crazed look starting to disappear, his breaths slowing down again.  
“Not real” Jongin whispered again, reaching out to pat Kyungsoo’s knee. The man regarded Jongin’s hand warily, before easing up to the touch.  
“How long-” he stopped. “How long before they stop?” the words seemed heavy.  
Jongin understood. “Not long. The more you use it, the more flexible it becomes. The surges become virtually non-existent then”  
Kyungsoo still looked a little shaken as he turned away from Jongin’s gaze.  
“Do you wanna talk about it” Jongin was offering, his hand was still on Kyungsoo’s knee and he didn’t want to pull away just yet.  
“No.”  
Jongin couldn’t help the sigh that slipped out, he stood up.  
“I’ll be down the hall to the right, if you- need anything”  
Kyungsoo gave him a shaky smile. Jongin couldn’t help thinking how much it resembled a heart.  
“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess i'll be editing this tomorrow morning. I'm sorry- I couldn't wait any longer to post it.  
> Do tell me if you like what you read, comments are such a great help; it'll give me a better idea of where to go :)  
> ~C


	5. σάπιος

Sapios.

 

The air smelled of putrefaction. Heavy and rotten. Chanyeol coughed beside him, muffling it with his hands to not seem disrespectful.  
Another body had been recovered, abandoned at a busy station in the center of Kefali. Almost like whoever had left it had wanted it to be found.  
The leaders were sorely unlucky this time. The station was teeming with civilians, all of whom were left with unanswered questions and vague excuses as the leaders tried to poorly downplay the death of one of their own.  
Every elemental community was alerted almost immediately, requesting their prompt attendance at one of the largest morgues in Kefali, the Sapios.  
True to its name, the Sapios was a maze of dimly lit, narrow corridors smelling of death and despair.

Their footsteps echoed loudly against the polished floors; Jongin winced with every step.  
The elemental leading them to the morgue was a middle aged greasy looking man, who looked like he was right at home in the middle of the rot.  
As they turned along another corridor, Sehun made an impatient noise at the back of his throat.  
“Why is it that a body found yesterday is placed so far into the centre? Isn’t this place planned according to priority and age?”

Their escort halted, turned slowly and fixes Sehun with a piercing gaze.  
“What do you wield?” the man’s sounded tepid; devoid of emotion.  
“Wind” Sehun said after a moment, the pride in his voice evident.

“Tell me boy, do you think you’re saving lives?” the escort mocked, contempt flowing from every word. “Are you here to save the dead and the dying? In the end, will you run to save yourself?”  
Sehun snorted “You’re a Lexthymos, aren’t you? You can’t distinguish and separate emotions.” He paused, looking around at the place “Can’t say it’s gotten you very far”  
The older elemental was starting to look a little unhinged.  
“Smart. You’ll save yourself in the end.” He murmured and pushed a door open.

 

The morgue smelled strongly of something abrasive, the stark white lights illuminating a lone table at the far corner of the room. The escort swept through the room, leaving the three elementals trailing behind.  
As they drew closer to the table, Jongin could make out the distinct form of a person beneath the polyester. The lexthymos whipped the sheets off with a flourish. Jongin bit back the bile threatening to rise as the sickeningly sweet smell hit him.  
The body beneath the sheets was a woman. The pale translucence of the flesh with the marbling of bluish green veins making it impossible to assign a fixed aged to the dead.  
Chanyeol thumbed at a tiny paper square wound over the left toe of the corpse.  
“Minor fire wielder. Aged 27. Family un-identified-” he read out loud.  
“Unidentified-” Sehun muttered “-is that an equivalent to ‘not relevant’?”

The escort looked brazenly back at the elemental.  
“You think so lowly of the system, wind wielder. The family; if there is one, hasn’t reported a missing case so far-”

Sehun looked unconvinced “You-”  
Jongin elbowed him sharply in the ribs, shaking his head slightly and moving away from him to walk around the corpse.  
Sehun’s eyes widened for a split second before he caught on and thankfully, said no more.  
The lexthymos smiled morbidly, and Jongin knew the man hadn’t missed the negligible interaction between them.  
Jongin liked to believe that it was the Kefali that made people this way. Callous and indifferent.  
‘There was severe efficiency behind it all’ he thought, pushing the distaste for the leaders aside as he circled the tables, eyes flitting over the cadaver for telltale signs of disfiguring.  
He paused, frowning as the light caught what he was looking for.  
A thin scar, tinged a pale reddish blue ran a short way from the woman’s collarbones to the nape and skin behind the pinna. The wound looked aged, disinfected multiple times, the skin around it; taut with the faint underlying spatter of decaying veins.

He lifted the pinna gingerly, suppressing a shudder; the patch of skin looked hastily sewn up, where someone had slashed at it with vigor.

Someone sucked in a deep breathe. Jongin turned to find Chanyeol, looking at the dead with an expression of combined disgust and sympathy.

“They’re experimenting on us” he whispered.

 

 

~  
The Base.

The ground trembled.  
Jongin opened his eyes. He was back there again, in front of Kyungsoo’s room with no memory of how he’d teleported there in the first place. It had been happening for a week now; with Jongin turning up at Kyungsoo’s door in the middle of the night, every time the latter lost control of his powers.  
Another tremor rocked through the Base. He sank softly to the floor, closed his eyes and counted to five. Sure enough he hear muted footsteps climbing up the stairs.  
Baekhyun.  
After the first night, Jongin never went in. It was always Baekhyun. Baekhyun who woke Kyungsoo up from his nightmare, Baekhyun, who thankfully, never pressed Jongin on why he turned up every night when the ground shook but always stayed outside the door until the tremors had stopped.  
The said man ruffled Jongin’s hair lightly, before stepping into Kyungsoo’s room. Perhaps the fact that Baekhyun took longer than he had to calm Kyungsoo down, gave Jongin some joy.  
He sat there for a while; head resting on his knees, until everything was quiet except for the hushed voices inside. He wondered if Kyungsoo knew that Jongin always came, whether Baekhyun had told him.

Sighing, he stood up, and walked towards the stairs, careful not to make a sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been long overdue. I generally take a while to adjust to every new semester of uni; and that’s over, so the chapters are going to come faster (hopefully).  
> I got the word Lexthymos from the word alexithymia which is literally the inability to feel emotions.  
> Do tell me what you think, whether or not you like it so far :)  
> Also, come say hi on twitter @potslooshi (this link thing is a pain)  
> ~C


	6. οδηγό

“Concentrate. Try closing your eyes this time”

Kyungsoo screwed his eyes shut and focused on breathing through his nose. He still didn’t have a clue as to what he was supposed to be feeling.

The wind whistled, its shrill sound  made him shiver slightly. They were standing in a small clearing, less than half a mile from the Base. They had been coming here every day for the past week that Kyungsoo had begun to start naming the trees.

Training was a drag. Especially on the days he had Baekhyun and Jongdae with him, he felt like his eardrums would explode or the ‘unpleasant scowl’; as Baekhyun had so kindly put it, would be permanently etched onto his face.

Days with Junmyeon and Yixing, he supposed, were marginally better. For his ears and his sanity.

“Baek” he heard Jongdae call out to the other man standing a few feet away from the two of them. Kyungsoo knew what was coming, or at least, what wasn’t.

Light flashed behind his eyelids, tinting the darkness red. He clenched and unclenched his fists uselessly, struggling to get the earth to bend to his will. Nothing.

Gritting his teeth together, he opened his eyes. The cage of white light dancing around him blinked for a moment before completely  vanishing.

“Focus Kyungsoo” he heard Jongdae sigh. Kyungsoo bit back the urge to snap back. Wielding his force was becoming increasingly difficult, especially since the past week. Somehow it only seemed to show itself as an aftermath of his vivid nightmares.

“Let’s have another go at it” he heard Baekhyun call out. Kyungsoo didn’t see the point. Whatever had seemed to trigger the force in him had gone visibly dormant. Or maybe it had just- ran out; trickled away because he wasn’t strong enough. Kyungsoo hated feeling this useless.

“Kyungsoo” he heard Jongdae say gently, in something the man must have assumed to be a soothing voice.

“This is the last one. No point wearing yourself down any longer.”

The relief and shame hit him square. Another day gone to waste. He couldn’t even place a finger on what he was doing wrong. Taking a deep breathe, he turned to face Baekhyun square; the moping could wait a little longer, he figured.

“This time try placing your palms flat against the ground-” Baekhyun called out “-direct contact should help” he shrugged.

Kyungsoo crouched low, spreading his hands, arranging his fingers over and over till they were evenly spaced. He knew he was stalling. He glanced at Jongdae and almost wished he hadn’t. The man looked sympathetic. Kyungsoo had never felt so worthless. He shut his eyes and held his breath, honing his senses.

“I’m ready” he called out softly. Baekhyun would hear him anyway.

His hands trembled a little, out of the sheer force he was exerting. Somehow, at the back of his head he knew something was wrong. With him.

A heat wave washed over him, the strength of it knocking him off balance for a split second.

He felt Baekhyun’s surge pull back even before he opened his eyes. He’d lost focus. His chest pounded like he’d run a mile.

He steadied himself for a bit; counting his breaths, before turning to Baekhyun to ask for a repeat round.

The said blonde however, had his back to the edge of the woods, his position obstructing Kyungsoo’s vision of whoever he was waving at.

He turned to look at Jongdae who was frowning at the same spot.

“Something’s wrong” he muttered, before hoisting Kyungsoo up by his forearm, and walking away with an urgency that prompted Kyungsoo to follow.

As the newcomer came into his field of vision, the first thing Kyungsoo saw was the windswept pitch black hair. He steps faltered a little. He had been trying to avoid the man as much as possible since the first night he’d stepped into his room. He knew Jongin had picked up on it, but the man’s indifference to his attitude, had put things into perspective. He clearly didn’t want anything to do with Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was merely an intrusion, a temporary inconvenience. Sooner or later he’d be out of their hair.

Jongin looked over Baekhyun’s shoulder and flashed them, no-  _ flashed Jongdae _ a grin.

“How’s the practice going?”

“Not so great” Baekhyun grimaced “He practically toppled over at the end”

“Yea, I saw that bit. Got here a while ago.”

Kyungsoo wanted to sink into the ground in shame. Great, the man probably thought he was inept to boot. He willed himself to not hang his head in shame as he stared at a spot above Baekhyun’s head.

“You came alone?” Jongdae asked; the frown had not quite left his face.

Jongin hummed “Sehun and Yeol are on rounds in the…” he trailed off looking at Kyungsoo apprehensively. Kyungsoo fought a snort. He didn’t care enough to know where they were, let alone to go around spilling their secrets.

“…in the suburbs” Jongin finished, a small smile in place as he looked away from Kyungsoo.

“Doesn’t explain why you’re here” Jongdae was a worry wart; probably had anxiety; probably needed to see someone, Kyungsoo mused.

Jongin looked a little uncomfortable.

“A call came from Kefali. The leaders want to meet  _ him _ .”

Kyungsoo’s mouth opened and closed like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know what exactly that was. Jongin would find it funny, maybe even a little cute; if it was under any other circumstances.

 

“Me? H-How do they know about me? Do they… do this often?” his voice grew weaker. Jongin could sense the desperation seeping in, despite the man’s noticeable attempts to hone his face into nonchalance.

 

It was Baekhyun who asked “Frequent enough for it to not be a rarity.” He threw an arm over the shorter man’s shoulder 

“We’ve all been through it- just a few question about where you’re from and what your dirty intentions are, and you’re done.”

 

Kyungsoo cracked a slow smile.

“How are we getting there?”

“ _ You _ are getting there with Jongin.”

 

Jongin watched as the smile slipped off the man’s face. 

 

_ So far so good, _ he thought bitterly.

 

“Um… where are we going?” Kyungsoo asked, not quite meeting Jongin’s eyes.

He could see Baekhyun and Jongdae walking away to the opposite edge, back to the Base. Baekhyun had subtly wiggled his eyebrows at him, as if daring him to do something about his current predicament.

“We’ve got to walk a bit further, can’t teleport in or out from here-”

“-Reduces risks of direct intrusion into the wards, buffer time to escape in case of a breach-” he blabs, realizing mid-way that the man hadn’t asked for an explanation.

Kyungsoo however, looked very interested in the ground, his fists curling and uncurling themselves with every step he took.

“You’re going to drain yourself you know,” a sense of deja-vu washing over him as the words left his mouth.

“Don’t think there’s anything left to be drained.” Kyungsoo spoke through his teeth.

Jongin was silent for a moment.

“You’ve probably…” he decided to rephrase “Your force is probably inert because of a false sense of security it’s created on its own. When you’re awake-at least.”

The tips of Kyungsoo’s ears grew pink, but his fists fell limp to his side.

“Does everyone know?” Kyungsoo asked softly. The underlying weakness of the sentence made Jongin want to wrap his arms around the man, as irrational as it sounded. It was harder when everyone knew when you were most vulnerable.

“Hard not to when an earth quake wakes you up.” he said truthfully, the lilt to his tone letting Kyungsoo know that he wasn’t serious.

“We’re here” he said, turning to face Kyungsoo, stretching out his arm to him.

 

He glared at Jongin

“You need to tell me what to do, you know. The last time you just grabbed me and took off.”

 

“I could grab you, that’ll work this time too”

Jongin smirked, faltering a little as Kyungsoo was starting to look a little murderous.

“-or you could just give me your hand”

He reached out and took Kyungsoo’s hand after a beat. It was warm and soft, albeit a little sweaty. There was a faint mole on the man’s knuckle that made Jongin want to brush his fingers against his skin. 

Kyungsoo was staring at him a guarded expression on his face.

“Just hold on tight.” he croaked out as the shorter man curled his fingers around Jongin’s longer ones.

 

 

Kyungsoo walked with powerful strides, Jongin noticed. He extruded a sense of agility and confidence despite the smaller build of his body. He slowed down a little, trying to collect his thoughts.

Kyungsoo halted too.

“Aren’t we going the right way? They said the waiting room was round the corner.”

“I guess so. It changes every time I come here, so can’t be sure.”

Kyungsoo started walking, slower this time.

“How did your first time here go?” he sounded dubious, like he was unsure if Jongin would answer.

“Was a blur” Jongin replied thoughtfully.

“I came here with Junmyeon, probably wouldn’t have made it through without him. Made me do a couple of tests, asked me if I knew what I was, what I could do. Belittled me a whole lot…” he trailed off, the memories coming back to him. He’d grown so much; they all had.

“What kind of tests?” Kyungsoo’s eyes were wide, the worry in them poorly hidden.

“Not much. The usual- blood group, potency and stuff. No need for that these days, they probably knew your RBC count the moment you walked through the doors.”

They’d reached the waiting room. The doors opened silently; the room lighting up to a warm glow as they entered.

Jongin settled into a plush cushioned chair at the corner of the room, watching Kyungsoo pace, his face a mask of stone.

He sighed quietly, running his hands through his hair, tugging at the longer strands at the base. He needed a haircut. Kyungsoo paced a little faster.

His mind wandered aimlessly as he took he took in the elemental in front of him. Kyungsoo looked healthier than he had the night Jongin and the others had found him. His cheeks fuller, though the dark bags under his eyes were more pronounced than ever. Jongin supposed his were too.

He had an expressive face, Jongin mused. Dark eyebrows framing his big eyes.  _ Eyes that were glaring holes through his head _ .

“What?” Kyungsoo growled.

“Ease up” Jongin said lightly. He patted the seat next to his. “Save up that energy for when you’ll need it.”

He half expected Kyungsoo to flip him off. To ignore him and continue pacing at the very least. He hadn’t expected Kyungsoo to slump down in the chair next to him, breathing heavily.

Jongin watched him rest his head against the wall, his eyes following the soft planes of the elemental’s face. For a moment, Kyungsoo looked peaceful, his eyes closed, his breathing growing steadier by the second. Jongin’s eyes inadvertently moved to the man’s lips, captivated by the gentle rhythm with which they parted to receive air.

“Jongin”

Kyungsoo had opened his eyes. Jongin looked at him, unabashed that he’d been caught looking. He couldn’t bring himself to feel any shame. Not right now.

“What do I do?” nervousness rolled off Kyungsoo.

“Nothing” Jongin replied quietly, fixing his unwavering gaze on Kyungsoo. Maybe he could give him some false hope that nothing would go wrong.

“Don’t elaborate on the questions. Keep your answers short and to the point. Don’t second-guess yourself.” Jongin mentally ticked them off.

“-and don’t be snarky” he added as an afterthought.

Kyungsoo let out a small chuckle. Some of the tension ebbed out from his shoulders.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence not a moment later; and sat that way till the door opened for Kyungsoo.

 

When the shorter man grabbed his hand for a fraction of a second before he stood up to leave; Jongin’s heart thudded painfully in his chest.

 

Staring at the marks Kyungsoo’s nails had left on his palm, Jongin wished he hadn’t let the man go just then.

He sat there; thoughts rushing at Godspeed as he willed the time to go faster. 

Something. Anything.

 

 

 

“Patrolling at some bar at Odigo.” Yixing read out loud.

_ It was too early for this  _ Jongin thought, his head hitting the kitchen table. Monday mornings were too early for anything.

“What’s happening there that is so important that we get a written message for it?” Chanyeol snapped, sounding irritable as fuck.

Yixing barely spared him a glance; a slight frown forming on his face that grew progressively darker as he neared the end of the sheet.

“The usual” Yixing’s mouth was turned into an unpleasant look of disgust.

“Prostitution, drugs, finding potential hosts… the usual.”

Jongin cracked an eye open at that

“They want us to pay them a visit?” he muttered.

“More or less” Yixing replied. “-the last dead elemental was found a few miles from this bar. They probably think this’ll lead to something.”

Jongin let his head fall back to the counter, screwing his eyes shut. He knew how it’d go. Oblivious humans grinding up against other humans, hosts and strangers alike; the drugs numbing them and blurring the lines between reality and illusions.

They had done this too many times that even planning it from the top was almost unnecessary.

“Ah Kyungsoo, you can come along too.” Jongin shot up, no longer sleepy. “Seeing how it’s a frequent thing, might as well get acquainted with it” Yixing finished, grinning at Kyungsoo who was standing at the doorway, a steaming cup in his hands.

Well,  _ almost unnecessary _ .

Junmyeon looked up expectantly at Jongin as he entered the room and groaned loudly.

“Sometimes I wonder when you and Baekhyun will stop dressing up like man-whores.”

Jongin laughed out loud, adjusting the dark green shirt he was wearing as Junmyeon winced, muttering something about his inability to button up his shirt.

He draped himself over the counter, waiting for the others to turn up. Sehun was the first to amble into the kitchen, though in his pyjamas.  He gave Jongin a wicked once over.

“I see you’ve dressed up quite elaborately?” he smirked, tapping lightly at Jongin’s exposed chest.

“And I see you haven’t dressed up at all” he muttered, slapping the younger’s hand off his body.

“Oh, I’m not coming” Jongin didn’t like the way Sehun’s grin was growing wider.

“What do you mean you’re not coming?” this conversation was getting a little too confusing for Jongin’s taste.

“I’m-not-coming” Sehun said it slowly and loudly, like Jongin had trouble hearing the nonsense spewing from his mouth.

“Junmyeon has some work for me. Kyungsoo is riding with you today.”

“Kyungsoo isn’t riding with anyone else” Jongin gritted out “Go get your ass dressed.”

Sehun’s vicious cackling only died down when Kyungsoo entered the room, followed by Baekhyun, the latter looking like a ‘man whore’ as Junmyeon had so eloquently it.

Jongin was truly fucked underway.

 

 

The night felt cool against his skin, the air smelling faintly of the synthetic oil he’d just filled the tank with.

He hadn’t rode with someone else on patrols like these in a really long time. The last time he’d done it was just before Sehun had gotten his first bike.

More people meant the harder it would be to flee. Tonight, he’d have to keep a set of eyes on Kyungsoo as well. Jongin groaned inwardly. His thoughts seemed to run on the heedless side when the other man was around.

He heard Chanyeol’s huge wagon rev away in the distance as he wiped a dew drop off the mirror. They’d probably left. Which meant it was about time Kyungsoo turned up too.

The sound of the back door being opened made him look up.  _ Hundred year _ s he thought as Kyungsoo stepped out into the lawn. 

The moon fell on his face, making him look paler than he actually was.

His eyes fell lazily on Jongin, raking them over his unbuttoned shirt and back up again to his carefully gelled hair, the tips of his ears turning a steady pink. Jongin swallowed thickly and turned away. 

He couldn’t do this. Not tonight.

“Get on” he said shortly, his voice sounded foreign to his on ears “-we’re already running late.”

He saw Kyungsoo freeze for a moment from the corner of his eyes, before the man walked steadily up to him and climbed on with a practiced ease.

Jongin spared the rear view mirror a glance. Kyungsoo’s stone mask was back.  _ Way to go, Jongin _ .

“Also we are going  _ together _ -” he wished he could stop talking “-so please  _ act _ that way.”

He also wished he hadn’t seen the hurt flash through Kyungsoo’s eyes.

The ride was longer than Jongin had ever known it to be. Possibly due to the aggravating silence that followed. The respectable distance that Kyungsoo had between him and Jongin, seemed like miles. Kyungsoo had his hands firmly placed on the tail end, ensuring that he wouldn’t have to hold on to Jongin either. The fact made Jongin’s heart clench uncomfortably.

 

_ Odigo _

 

The Roebuck was the biggest club in Odigo, the lights glistening like a carnival. Jongin slowed down at the entrance, handing the bouncer two identification cards and a well-practiced smirk. Kyungsoo looked a little awestruck to be natural. Everything here moved with a subtle ease.

 

Jongin sighed and turned to look at the mirror as he rode inside.

“The bouncers at the door aren’t easy, you’ve got to behave like you belong here.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened a bit, but said nothing.

There weren’t as many people outside like he’d like there to be, and the fact that this could draw unwanted attention made him jittery. He could feel eyes trailing him as he drove to his usual parking spot.

 

Slim hands wound around his waist making him lose track of all his thoughts. He stiffened before realizing  _ it was all an act _ . If Jongin said easing up to the touch was hard, he’d be lying.

Kyungsoo’s grip got tighter as they parked.

The shorter man moved impossibly closer, Jongin was starting to think he would combust from the heat, from the feeling of Kyungsoo’s body against his. Kyungsoo’s hand found the longer strands of hair at the base of his head, thumbed it lightly before Jongin felt plush lips brush against the spot.

Jongin was frozen in his seat. He couldn’t register Kyungsoo getting off the bike and walking to stand in front of him. He couldn’t register Kyungsoo lifting his jaw and moving closer till he was breathing Kyungsoo’s air.

“They aren’t looking anymore”

That’s what cleared the fog in Jongin’s head. He blinked twice and let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

Kyungsoo had already turned away.

The insides of the Odigo smelled of bitter sweat and sex. Jongin had lost Kyungsoo to the crowd the moment they’d entered. He leaned against one of the numerous marbled counters and lit up a cigarette. A rare indulgence. He needed something in his system before he started looking for Kyungsoo. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the fumes curl thickly from his mouth. The synth beats were starting to sound comforting.

He looked around; trying to spot the smaller man in the throngs of people, when he felt eyes on him for the second time that night.

The woman who glided towards him was simply put, gorgeous. Jongin could feel her undressing him with her eyes and couldn’t find it in himself to complain.

As she plucked the cigarette from his hand, and threw her head back to take a drag, the scars on her ear were thrown into the throbbing lights. A host. Jongin felt the disgust rise, but he’d been in same state of affairs too many a time to let his smirk falter.

 

“Do you dance, handsome?” she gurgled.

Jongin wordlessly pulled her towards the dance floor. He probably had a better chance finding Kyungsoo from there anyway.

Jongin moved his hip with a practiced emotionless grace, an arm loosely wrapped around the host’s waist; eyes roaming restlessly looking for the man he’d come here with.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and his arms reflexively reach out, wrapping around the body that was practically falling over him. Kyungsoo.

The man reeked of alcohol and an underlying something that Jongin could not quite put his finger on. He placed a hand on Jongin’s bare chest and looked straight at him.

The unbridled lust in Kyungsoo’s eyes made Jongin shudder. He gripped Kyungsoo’s waist tighter;  _ to keep him from falling over; _ as he would tell himself the next morning.

“Come on Jongin. Keep up the act” he slurred against Jongin, giggling a little as Jongin stiffened against him. No amount of alcohol could disguise the hurt in Kyungsoo’s voice.

The man giggled once again before rocking his hips against Jongin’s, burying his nose into Jongin’s neck. His lips pressed wet against Jongin’s collarbones.

Jongin was sure he was suffocating. Kyungsoo nibbled a little, harsh enough to break skin, hard enough to leave him trembling.

He tugged on Kyungsoo’s hair forcing the man to look up at him. A little keen escaped the shorter man’s throat, that left Jongin lightheaded. This wasn’t the right time, this wasn’t what they’d come here for.

But Kyungsoo was looking up at him, so expectantly; with beautifully parted lips, only for Jongin. But he knew he couldn’t. Not now, not ever.

He drew Kyungsoo closer, pressing a kiss to the man’s forehead. Kyungsoo shivered against him and Jongin knew he was goner.

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when he crashed his mouth onto Kyungsoo’s, when he swallowed Kyungsoo’s whimpers, when he sucked and pulled at the plush lips.  _ He was drowning. _

The music was beginning to sound hollow, fading in and out as he kissed the elemental. The beats were almost travelling through their bodies, into the ground; making it tremble as well. He felt like everything around them was being set in motion. A shift in the centres of gravity.

Strong hands pulled him backwards. Everything slowed down for a moment. Kyungsoo looked dazed, the haze slowly disappearing from his eyes; he looked ravaged, Jongin thought with some pride.

 

“JONGIN!” he turned to see a livid Baekhyun who looked like he was ready to fight.

He pulled Jongin down “ _ Kyungsoo just wielded his force”  _ he snarled.

Everything came back in a sudden rush of clarity, the hollowness, the ground trembling, Kyungsoo.

With whatever sanity he had left, he grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand, with a nod to Baekhyun; an assurance and a warning, he pulled the man away from the crowd, away from the Odigo.

Two things registered in Jongin’s head as he drove them back. Kyungsoo had wielded the force in a roomful of hosts and Strangers. Two,  _ Jongin _ had triggered it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've written in one go.  
> Big virtual hugs to my beta; Zoo, for keeping up with my irritating impatience.  
> Hope you like where the story is heading, tell me if you do.  
> Leave comments and kudos, they make my day.  
> ~C


	7. παιδιά

Kyungsoo seemed to have sobered up after the encounter with Baekhyun and was now pointedly avoiding Jongin’s eye. The static between them appeared to have abated, leaving Jongin feeling detached and alone with his multitudinous mindless thoughts. The way Kyungsoo’s palm had felt in his; warm and a little sweaty, the way the incessant music had fast swerved from soothing, the rage in Baekhyun’s eyes when he’d found them.

 

Jongin risked a glance at the rear view mirror, instantly regretting what he saw. Kyungsoo looked like he’d been sculpted from stone, an underlying tone of self-depreciation etched on his pale face.  _ That makes two of us,  _ he thought bitterly, speeding up in the opposite direction, away from the Odigo.

  
  


The Base was empty when they’d returned. Kyungsoo had gone inside, leaving him feeling cold a little desperate. 

He was tired. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


 

His eyes refused to open. Jongin was almost sure of where he was. The telltale trembling of the ground was a dead giveaway.

He sank to the floor, eyes screwed shut. His head was beginning to pound lightly as he counted the seconds till Baekhyun came up.

 

_ 240. _

Somehow he already knew Baekhyun wouldn’t show. He’d want Jongin to deal with his own messes. Baekhyun had astutely left him with no choice. He halted for a moment, one hand on the doorknob, contemplating.  _ There was too much that could go wrong anyway. _

  
  


Kyungsoo’s room was dimly lit, the orange lustre from the nightstand throwing light on the faintly twitching body. 

Jongin stood for a moment; unsure as to how to wake the man up, before reaching out and patting what looked like the outline of a head cocooned in the thick sheets.

 

Much like the first time, Kyungsoo jerked awake, scooting further as he saw the figure hovering over him. Jongin tried not to dwell too much on the hurt.

 

He watched as the shorter man drew up his legs shakily, his head placed heavily between his knees.

Jongin was nothing short of uncomfortable. Part of him wanted to leave; probably to curl up somewhere in guilt and fall asleep, another; rather steadfast part of him wanted to stay. He gently sat on the furthest edge of the bed, not missing the subtle flinch from Kyungsoo as he felt the bed dip a little.

 

They sat like that for a while, unmoving until Jongin could no longer hear Kyungsoo strained breathing.

“Look-” 

Jongin winced at how rough his voice sounded. He couldn’t see Kyungsoo’s face, but he was sure the man was listening. Well, there was no turning back now.

“I’m sorry. For what happened. I’m sorry it made you uncomfortable. It was a boundary i shouldn’t have crossed. 

 

Somewhere along his impersonal rant, Kyungsoo had looked up and was now staring at him, eyes wide with something akin to disappointment. Or maybe it was just the light.

 

“It’s alright” 

He tucked his head back between his legs.

“Probably shouldn’t have drank that stuff. I thought it looked off.” his words came out sounding a little muffled.

 

Jongin chuckled softly.

“The drinks are generally spiked. Lowers your inhibitions”

“Is that why…my powers got out of control?”

_ Probably not. _

 

“Possibly” 

 

Kyungsoo hummed lightly and then paused, frowning.

“The stuff isn’t poisonous is it?”

 

Jongin scoffed “of course not. We’ve all had our fair share of inebriation.”

 

“Not anymore?”

 

“Rarely, almost so that its a luxury. To let go like that.”

 

Jongin wasn’t sure he regretted his minor lapse of judgement. Sure, the guilt was ever-present, but the heady rush had almost made it worth it.

 

Kyungsoo fell quite after that. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


~

“Crook your fingers a little”

Kyungsoo tried that. Sehun’s apparently infallible method didn’t look like it was going to work.

They had been up early, practising what Sehun called the  _ fine art of wielding. _

Rest assured, his powers seemed to have reappeared; albeit rather weakly, after his little tryst with Jongin.

The elemental had seemed like he’d warmed up to Kyungsoo the previous night, toneless apologies aside. Even though a sensitive air of awkwardness had lingered behind during breakfast. 

 

He sighed a little, focusing on the problem at hand. Sehun. 

The youngest elemental had a mini tornado shooting from his index finger, the tempest creating short drafts of wind around them. 

It was rather impressive, Kyungsoo admitted rather disgruntledly. Even at such a smaller scale, Sehun managed to achieve a certain magnificence with his display.

 

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

 

Sehun’s eyes were on him, gauging, assessing. He widened his palm, and the tornado swooshed loudly, the destructive vortex spinning faster, growing and gaining momentum. Kyungsoo fought to keep his eyes open in the blast. The wind felt like it could tear through his skull. And then it was gone. Sehun’s hand was curled into a tist fist.

 

“It’s symbiosis of sorts. You don’t control your power, neither does it control you. It’s a conversation. A give and take.”

 

Kyungsoo couldn’t help the small snort that followed. His powers looked like it needed something more than natural coercion. Probably needed coercion that came in the form of full lips and broad shoulders.

 

He shook his head. The said complication was starting to invade his thoughts more often than not. For reasons Kyungsoo was completely unsure of himself.

He looked up to see Sehun grinning cockily down at him. For a moment Kyungsoo wondered f Sehun knew what he had been thinking of. Or  _ who _ .

 

“Focus, Kyungsoo” he teased.

 

“What do you think you create best? The first thing off the top of your head when you’re being attacked”

 

“Quicksand”

 

Sehun chuckled. “Thought so”

 

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, unable to focus on what Sehun was saying and crooking his fingers at the same time. 

 

“Jongin was raving on and on about the night they found you. Something about honing your skills…” 

 

Kyungsoo let his voice fade to the background. He wondered what else Jongin had told the other man. Presumably about how big a mistake everything was. Everything from when he’d brought Kyungsoo here, to holding him close that night. He could feel the anger coursing off him in waves. His hands trembled once before they stilled as a huge burst of power surged through them.

 

“Whoa” He heard Sehun yell.

 

The room had just begun to clear? Kyungsoo squinted through the motes of dust to find Sehun standing quite far away from him than he was a few seconds ago. 

 

Something crunched beneath his feet.

 

_ Oh. _

The entire room, save for two small patches where the two elementals stood, was covered in a dark gooey colloid, squelching and bubbling in spots. Quicksand. A room full of it.

 

“Wow” 

Sehun looked impressed. “That was something else”

Kyungsoo wasn't sure if he was processing things right.

 

“Now reverse it” 

He looked up at Sehun.

 

“What? Get it out of here.”

Kyungsoo gave him a look. 

 

“I don't know how.”

 

“You’re fucking with me” 

“I’m getting Jongin.”

  
  
  


Jongin had arrived with a loud yelp before disappearing again, only to reappear behind Sehun. They’d teleported away leaving Kyungsoo right in the middle of the mess he’d made. In more ways than one.

He jumped a little when Jongin materialised out of thin air. The glare on his face fading when he saw the man doubling over, eyes scrunched up in mirth. 

 

“Har har” Kyungsoo deadpanned.

 

“I’ve half a mind to leave you here.”

 

“You wouldn't dare.” 

 

Jongin's gaze softened.

“You’re right. I probably wouldn't”

 

Before Kyungsoo could even dwell on the man’s words, they were standing in the living room of the Base; Jongin’s fingers gently leaving his wrist. 

  
  
  
  
  


Kyungsoo was wearing one of Baekhyun’s horrid pink sweaters. The man somehow managed to make it look soft. 

Jongin didn't know what he was doing there, half dozing against the counter, letting the soft voices wash over him.

 

Yixing seemed to be helping the elemental with something. The two of them hunched over a pile of sheets.Kyungsoo wasn't saying much, which was a pity considering how nice and mellow Jongin thought it was. 

“... _ all about host generation _ -” Yixing was saying.

He let his eyes wander over to Kyungsoo’s smaller form. The man’s brows were furrowed in sheer concentration, nodding occasionally, constantly worrying his lower lip.

 

Sehun ambled in, plopping himself down next to Jongin. Kyungsoo looked up. Jongin didn’t look away. The rush seemed to be all sorts of right and wrong amalgamated into one.

 

The door opened, Kyungsoo looked away. Jongin fought to push down the disappointment.

Junmyeon had a large envelope in his hand.

 

“Kyungsoo, your report just came in.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Kyungsoo looked around him. The living room was stuffed with the eight other elementals, all of them sprawling and too preoccupied to notice his inner turmoil.

All except one. Kyungsoo could feel dark eyes on him. Could feel it since the afternoon, the thought making him shiver every time.

 

No one had seemed particularly interested in the report, so that probably meant that Kyungsoo was overthinking it all. He’d been fighting to stay put and not rip the envelope open from Junmyeon to read it himself. 

 

“Ah Myeon, come on. Open it up.” Chanyeol said. 

“Put Kyungsoo out of his misery.” 

 

_ Fucking finally  _

 

Kyungsoo sat upright; not before throwing Chanyeol a grateful look,  who grinned back reassuringly.

Junmyeon was painstakingly slow. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and threw back his head in annoyance. Only to meet a the now familiar pair of eyes boring into his head. Jongin’s lips quirked up in a smile. 

How the man made it look both teasing and comforting was a mystery. His eyes sparkled as he traced the planes of Kyungsoo’s face, and his stomach lurched at the hunger brewing in the teleporter’s eyes. 

 

Someone cleared their throat. Kyungsoo looked up. Junmyeon had already started reading.

 

“-birth date 12th January-”

“Oh”  

Kyungsoo looked up at the interrupter. Baekhyun was grinning shamelessly.

“That’s two days before Jongin’s”

 

_ Oh. Figures.  _

Kyungsoo didn’t need to look back to know that the eyes were back on him. He turned back to Junmyeon, praying that this was the last ridiculous thing that would come up.

  
  


“Blood type, immunological responsiveness…”

 

“Skip that” Sehun called “What are his wield strengths?”

  
  


“Alkaline earth metals and plate tectonics” 

 

“Damn.” he heard someone- Chanyeol breathe.

 

Kyungsoo was confused. He already knew he could control metals, the alkaline earth part was certainly a discovery. So was the tectonics-

 

“It’s not very common to have a vast wield strength like plate tectonics-”

 

Kyungsoo turned his head so fast he was sure he’d gotten a whiplash. It was Jongin. The elemental smirked a little before continuing.

 

“Tectonics literally gives you power over the ground, the earth as a whole.”

Kyungsoo was sure he was bluffing.

“-it lets you create large scale disasters, new volcanic faults… someone like you could’ve cracked the Pangaea.”

 

Kyungsoo just looked at him. His mouth was probably open. He couldn’t have cared less.

Jongin hadn’t taken his eyes off him.

_ Breathe _ he mouthed. 

And Kyungsoo tore his eyes away, letting out air he hadn't realised he’d been holding.

 

“Kyungsoo”

He turned to Junmyeon who was starting to look quite disturbed.

“What do you know about your parental ancestry?”

 

Well he wasn't expecting  _ that _ . 

“Nothing i haven’t told you I guess.”

 

Everyone except Junmyeon and Yixing looked lost. 

“Oh, um… I’d talked about it the day i got here” he shrugged.

 

He looked back to Junmyeon, who nodded slightly. Kyungsoo wasn't uncomfortable talking about where he’d come from per se. He didn't like being under close scrutiny; which was precisely the case with six pairs of eyes trained curiously on him.

 

He took in a deep breathe.

“I was raised in the Paidias outside Kefali.”

 

“The less-than-legal child care centers?” Sehun interrupted, frowning in concentration.

 

He nodded.

 

“They aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. Its like an unpublicized orphanage. There are no official records of who comes and goes; but most of the residents are permanent. I think I was left behind, i stopped asking after a while because they value the secrecy of their patrons above everything.” 

 

He paused. This was turning out to be harder than he’d thought.

 

“They had sufficient funds to get the children through basic schooling, but one by one everyone trickled out.”

The silence was plausible.

“It scared me to think of what was happening to them. What would happen to me. I stayed quiet, so did everyone. I knew I had to leave when the voices began. And the nightmares. I left Paidias the first night I woke up with the ground shaking.” 

 

He itched to turn back. To meet the eyes he could feel on him. He felt like he should be telling his story to Jongin. He could feel the teleporter’s eyes boring holes on his back. 

Shaking away the incessant feeling, Kyungsoo turned to Junmyeon.

 

“I don't see how all this is relevant though.”

 

“They traced your ancestry Kyungsoo. Your father is Do Insung, secondary head of state in Kefali.”

 

Junmyeon waited.

This could only get worse.

 

“Confirmed host for five years.”

  
  
  
  
  


Kyungsoo was standing in front of the washroom mirror. He was in desperate need of some air. 

 

After the initial chaos of the news of _his_ _father_ had settled, Junmyeon, with much forbearance, had explained to him how genetic tracing worked.

 

Just like they’d traced him back to the man, the Strangers could do the same. Tracing Do Insung’s gene would lead to the knowledge that he’d fathered a freak of nature. 

The strangers would possibly come after him, if they ever were to find the glitch in his system that made him what he was.

An elemental. A danger.

  
  


He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gauge what problems he would start dealing with first. 

The person he saw when he opened his eyes, looked young. And as much as Kyungsoo hated to admit; scared. His eyes were too big for his face, as he pulled he greyish skin underneath, contemplating.

 

A loud knock on the door broke him out of his reverie. He couldn't ignore it, even if he wanted to. The others probably thought he was on the verge of running away. A very appealing thought at the moment.

 

Steadying his breathing, he opened the door a crack.

The man outside looked just as conflicted as Kyungsoo was feeling. Dark hypnotic eyes fixed concretely on him.

“Jongin” 

It came out sounding paper thin.

“I was just-”

 

The teleporter pushed the door open, and slid inside; leaving the space rather cramped. Kyungsoo needed more air. Gallons of it. He couldn't pinpoint why he couldn't breathe.

 

Jongin’s eyes were an intense brown. Raging with all the questions Kyungsoo probably didn't have answers to. Kyungsoo felt like talking.

 

"I couldn’t sit there any longer-”

  
  


Thinking back, Kyungsoo could probably pinpoint the exact moment Jongin’s gaze fell on his lips. 

 

Jongin’s arms were wrapped solidly around him; kissing him like a man starved. Sober, Kyungsoo felt delirious as he kissed the elemental, quiet whimpers escaping that were promptly swallowed.

 

When they broke apart, the teleporter buried his face in the crook of Kyungsoo’s neck, panting like he’d run a mile. He wasn't faring any better, the arms around him, the only thing keeping him from crumbling.

 

“Jongin…” he trailed off.

 

The man looked up at him, brown eyes softer and filled with something Kyungsoo could only describe as regret.

Kyungsoo felt heavy. Someone had stolen the air again. 

 

He watched as Jongin’s mouth parted to form his name.

“Kyungsoo, that was-”

 

Maybe it was the constant remorse that seemed to irk Kyungsoo off.

 

“Don't worry about it” he snapped, pushing past the elemental, out the door.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its 3am and I'm very sure my half-awake proof readings going to suck.  
> I'll get to that tomorrow.  
> Tell me what you liked :)  
> ~C  
> (aren't emojis supposed to work now? -_-)

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you liked, and what you didn't :)  
> Come say hi on twitter: @potslooshi


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